Category Archives: Uncategorized

The first Christmas card was created in England on December 9, 1843. Like most of us, Henry Cole, an Englishman, was too busy to write personal greetings for all of his Christmas greetings in 1843. Cole hired artist John Calcott Horsley to design a ready-to-be-sent card. The hand-colored card Horsley designed was lithographed on stiff,Continue reading “Mine went out already”

December 9, 1966 –A very early Francis Ford Coppola, You’re a Big Boy Now, starring Elizabeth Hartman, Peter Kastner, Geraldine Page, her spouse Rip Torn, Karen Black, Tony Bill, Michael Dunn, and Julie Harris opened on this date. Francis Ford Coppola was desperate to film on location at the New York Public Library but theContinue reading “You’re a Big Boy Now premiered”

December 9, 1994 –Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders was dismissed after suggesting discussion of masturbation in school classes on sexuality. This gives rise to the euphemistic term “firing the surgeon general.”

A tradition was born The lighting of candles and decorating with candles has always been popular, but also one of biggest sources of danger during the Christmas holidays. In 1895 a New England Telephone employee, Ralph Morris, while looking at the newly installed string of lights made for the telephone switchboard decided to take someContinue reading “Useless Christmas Trivia:”

It’s apparently it’s not ‘Send Kevin all the loose bills in your pocket day today, but ‘National Brownie day. According to several sources, Brownies seem to have made their first appearance at the Parker House Hotel in Chicago in 1893 celebrating the Columbian Exposition World’s Fair in Chicago, (you may find their original recipe forContinue reading “Never trust anyone who skips dessert”

I believe some of you are really going to need an old lady in church, saying the rosaries on a Tuesday afternoon in the back row of your church to explain this one to you: December 8, 1854Pius IX promulgates the doctrine of Immaculate Conception (Ineffabilis Deus) – the Virgin Mary is free from originalContinue reading “Trust me, there is a TV connection here”

December 8, 1976 –Richard and Karen Carpenter’s first US television special, The Carpenters’ First Television Special, with guest stars Victor Borge and John Denver, first aired on this date. This in fact was not their first TV special; they appeared on a special produced by the BBC, five years earlier.

December 8, 1976 –Asylum release the fifth studio album of the Eagles, Hotel California, on this date. Hotel California would go on to sell 16 million copies in the U.S. and double that figure worldwide.

December 8, 1980 – John Lennon was shot by a lunatic, Mark David Chapman, outside Lennon’s apartment in New York City mere hours after receiving the Beatle’s autograph. Chapman was carrying around his dog eared copy of Catcher in the Rye. For those of you who remember the book, I leave it to you toContinue reading “It’s always a sad anniversary”

December 7, 1979 –Kurtis Blow’s Christmas Rappin‘ by becomes the first rap song released on this date, by a major label – Mercury Records. It sold about 400,000 copies and provides the template for his next single, The Breaks, which becomes the first rap Gold record.